The Legend Of Sasuke Uchiha
by ProfressorSeuss
Summary: AU. Sasuke's life from beginning to end. With a few surprises along the way.
1. Origin

Origin

It was all so simple, yet so complex. Every day Sasuke would wake up to the incessant buzzing of his alarm clock. As soon as he did so, he would roll out of bed and neatly fix up his sheets. His father loved to spot check him, to surprise him. They were thorough inspections too, and whenever Sasuke failed he would be chastised harshly. Discipline, that was what his father wanted to instill in him. Itachi had it. Itachi had a lot of it. So he was expected to have it too. That was the order of things. After he neatly made up his bed, he walked across the hall and entered the bathroom to wash up. The bathroom mirror was fogged up from the steam of the bath's hot water. Itachi had been there first. He was always first.

Sasuke showered and brushed his teeth and washed his face, all of the hygienic necessities that his mother had drilled into him since he was a small child. She used to wash him, to brush his teeth for him, to dress him, but once he enrolled into the Academy he knew that he couldn't allow her to continue to baby him. He was a ninja now, well, he was going to be one soon enough. And ninjas don't allow their mothers to coddle them, they stand on their own two feet. Just like his father, and just like his brother.

Once Sasuke finished up in the bathroom, he dried himself off and began to walk towards his room once more in order to get properly dressed for his day at the Academy. After he properly disposed of his used bath towel in the laundry hamper situated near the restroom, he began to descend down the stairs and was immediately greeted with the delightful scent of tuna and rice, as well as tomatoes. Mom was making his favorite dish again! He increased his pace, almost sprinting down the steps. He moved so quickly that his bare feet reverberated against the wooden staircase.

"Sasuke, no running!" His mother chided him.

"Sorry mom," He apologized swiftly.

Getting on his mother's bad side so early in the morning would spell trouble for him later. His mother could be scary, in fact, he feared his mother more than he feared his father. There was a saying amongst the clan, "Fugaku may cuff criminals in the streets, but Mikoto cuffs him at home." He remembered a family friend reciting the idiom during a visit one day, much to his father's chagrin.

Once Sasuke turned the corner to the dining room, he saw his father and brother sitting quite a ways away from one another in perpetual silence. The boy frowned, there was so much tension between the two of them. The atmosphere was so heavy, so dense with unspoken animosity. Ever since Itachi's "episode", which consisted of him uncharacteristically lashing out after being confronted on the suspicious circumstances of Shisui's apparent "suicide", an event that deeply saddened Sasuke as he was quite fond of Shisui, almost like a second brother, his father hadn't said a word to him. Nor did he say a word about him. Sasuke decided to break the awkward silence.

"Good morning, father," Sasuke said with a warm smile. His father diverted his eyes from his meal and gave his son a smile of acknowledgement, a gesture that made Sasuke's heart skip a beat. Such a gesture was usually only reserved for Itachi, not for him. It was strange how his father treated him nowadays. Not only did he compliment him on mastering the **Katon Goukakyuu No Jutsu** inside of a week (despite the fact that his brother had mastered it on his first try), he advised him to not follow in his brother's footsteps, which shocked him.

He looked over to his brother, who glared at Sasuke from the corner of his eye. Perhaps he felt left out?

"Good morning, brother," Sasuke greeted him with the same warm smile that he had greeted his father with. Itachi emulated his younger brother's smile and said "Good morning, Sasuke."

The tension had lifted, and Sasuke could feel that he could breathe again. The atmosphere had been too heavy for him, but now it was light.

He began to eat his breakfast with great delight, and was sure to compliment his mother on her cooking with every bite, which made her smile and say "You are so sweet, Sasuke."

Sasuke pouted at her words and responded with, "You know I don't like sweets mom."

His mother then apologized and asked, "Would you rather be sour then?" Sasuke shook his head. He didn't want to be sour to anyone.

Once Sasuke had finished eating, Itachi stood up from the dining room table and announced that he was taking his leave, to which Sasuke was the only person to respond in acknowledgement. As Itachi began to put on his sandals, Sasuke decided to ask him if he would be able to train with him once he got back home.

Itachi looked at him with a warm smile, then poked his forehead with his two forefingers and spoke in an apologetic tone, "Sorry Sasuke, maybe next time."

Sasuke rubbed his forehead and looked away from him in mock anger, "Liar!" He exclaimed.

Out of the corner of his eye however, he saw that Itachi's eyes had an eerie sadness about them. Did he take what Sasuke said seriously?

"Brother, I didn't mean-"

"It's okay, Sasuke," Itachi said before quickly departing. Sasuke's lip quivered. He didn't mean to hurt his feelings, he just responded as he always did. What made it so different this time?

As Sasuke returned to the dining room to help his mother straighten up, he saw both of his parents exchange glances at one another before his father suddenly announced that he was heading to his room down the hall. No sooner than he get out of earshot did his mother beckon Sasuke to sit next to her at the dining room table.

"Yes, mother?"

His mother smiled at him sweetly. "Your father wanted me to talk to you about something very important, Sasuke," she began to say, her expression remained kind.

"Something important?"

His mother nodded, "Yes, it has been decided that you will become the new heir whenever your father chooses to step down." Sasuke gave her a look of astonishment. He felt pride swell up inside of him, but there was a tinge of regret as well.

While this was good news and all, he did have to ask, "What about Itachi?"

His mother frowned at the mention of her eldest son, a gesture that Sasuke had never known for his mother to do at the mention of one of her children.

"Your father has decided that you would be a more suitable candidate," She expressed, her frown curved into a smile once more. Sasuke's breath had been taken away. His father had said that about him?

"In private, you're all he talks about you know, you're all he ever talks about." His mother then cupped her son's chin and leaned in towards him to plant a soft kiss on his forehead, in the same spot that Itachi had poked moments ago.

"In you, we rest all of our hopes. Good luck today at the Academy, and try not to stay out too late."

* * *

"Alright, that concludes class for today. Tomorrow we will begin spar sessions, so be ready for it. You are all dismissed."

Sasuke began to happily gather his belongings into his single strapped backpack and went on about his way. As soon as he stepped outside however, he saw a group of kids kicking a can around the school playground. This was actually one of Sasuke's favorite games to play.

People were split into two teams and the objective was to kick the can from one teammate to another. However, if someone on the opposing team were to intercept the can that you kicked, then you would be kicked out of the game. Once it came down to two people, then the winner would be decided with whomever could kick the can for the longest amount of time without it being intercepted, which meant that it was usually timed. The only rule was that you couldn't use any other part of your body except for your feet.

Although Sasuke was eager to go home, he decided that it wouldn't hurt to play for a little while. Once he went over to the group, he saw that one of the kids, a blonde with goggles on his forehead, began to triumphantly declare that he had won, and with ease too.

One of the girls then shouted, "I bet you won't be able to beat Sasuke!"

A pink haired one chimed in with a loud "Yea!"

"Oh yea!? I bet I could beat mister popular any day!" The blonde shouted back.

Sasuke gave the confident blonde boy a smirk. He would enjoy knocking him down a peg or two. The new heir to the Uchiha clan would not lose to the likes of him!

"Bring it on!" Sasuke yelled.

The young Uchiha kicked the can first, and he sent it barreling across the playground. Everyone gasped in amazement, and the blonde attempted to intercept it by running to it. _Too slow!_ Sasuke thought. It was almost comical really, it was as if the blonde was traversing through mud in comparison to his speed. Sasuke was able to quickly intercept the can and kick it across the playground once again. The blonde haired boy groaned and tried to run after it, but Sasuke beat him to it once more and kicked it again and again. This went on for hours and hours on end, and time began to quickly pass by. Finally, the blonde boy declared defeat, and he collapsed in a heap of sweat.

The girls circled around Sasuke and began to congratulate him. They complimented him as well, and called him "cool" and "cute", which made him blush in embarrassment. When he looked at them, he envisioned himself as the new head of the Uchiha clan looking at his fellow clan members, all friends that he would hold dear.

He looked toward the defeated blonde boy and yelled to him in triumph, "I will always protect those precious to me!"

The girls nearly fainted at his declaration, but the blonde scoffed and stood up to his feet, suddenly full of energy. What was with this guy? Did he ever get tired?

"Oh yea!? Well you won't be the only one! Because I'm going to protect those precious to me too when I become the Hokage! My name is Naruto Uzumaki! Remember it!" He then ran off.

 _Naruto Uzumaki?_ Sasuke questioned thoughtfully. _What a strange guy_.

Sasuke began to run home as fast as he could. He was late, how could he allow himself to be so late? His mother was going to kill him! As he entered the Uchiha compound and continued to run, he couldn't help but feel that something was...off. It felt cold. Not freezing cold. But chilling cold. Did something happen? He tried to shrug it off, he tried to tell himself that he was just letting his imagination get the better of him. It was pretty late, so perhaps everyone was just sleeping? Yea, they were asleep. That's what he told himself. As he ran and got closer and closer to his house, he felt a cold chill run down his spine. He stopped to catch his breath. Someone was watching him. His teacher said that a shinobi should always trust his instincts. He knew it, something _was_ wrong. It was too quiet, too lifeless. Even the buildings themselves seemed to have lost their luster within a span of less than a day's time.

 _I gotta hurry! If something's wrong then I'll try to protect everyone! It's my duty as the new heir!_

He turned the corner.

And he saw blood.

He saw the tarnished buildings, he saw kunais and shurikens pinned to the wooden facade. Door frames were forcefully removed from their hinges, lanterns were cut off completely, which explained why it had been so dark.

And then there was blood.

Blood splatter that lead to the bodies of several Uchiha clan members. There was a kunai protruding from the back of one of the deceased members, and there were more cold bodies lying around. Lifeless. They were dead. His own people, his own clan, the people that he was going to grow up to protect, the people that his father-

 _Father! Mother!_

Were they okay? Were they alive? If they weren't...

He rushed home. He ran faster than he had ever ran before. He ran until he couldn't feel his legs any longer, and he continued to run even further. To run even faster.

 _Father! Mother! Please..._

He entered his home but he stopped short of his parent's door. The quiet. The chills. The goosebumps. They all came back. He was frozen solid. Why am I so scared? He tried to rationalize to himself that there was nothing to be afraid of, that his father would take care of everything. That was his job right? To protect his people? So why was he so afraid? All he had to do was open the door, tell his father what he saw, and he would fix everything.

 _Just open the door._

He didn't move.

 _Open the door._

He continued to hesitate.

 _Open the door!_

Sasuke opened the door.

It creaked.

He saw his father lying atop of his mother in a pool of their own blood.

And his brother stood over them.

"Father! Mother!"

He felt sick. He felt ill. His stomach curdled and curled. It churned and turned. Then his lunch came up. He vomited all over his parent's bedroom floor. His stomach felt better, but his shaking, his anxiety, his fear, it intensified. He looked up at his brother, who was dressed in shinobi battle gear compliments of the ANBU Black Ops. Yes, his brother would save him, his brother would make sense of everything. He was all that he had left after all.

"Brother! Father and mother are-"

His shoulder felt warm. Why did it feel warm? He gazed at it. _Blood? Why am I bleeding?_ _How did my shirt get ripped?_ His eyes traced the wall behind him. There was a kunai there. That wasn't always there. Someone had thrown a kunai at him! But the only person who could would have been...

"Brother? W-Why?"

It didn't make any sense. Why would his brother hurt him? He didn't understand. He couldn't understand. His brother always talked about how he would help him, how he would protect him. He even said once that he'd never intentionally harm him. But his shoulder hurt. It hurt so bad. He couldn't stop bleeding. Why was he bleeding so much? He was tired of seeing blood.

"To test my capacity."

Silence.

 _That's it?_

Everyone was dead. Their beloved buildings were tarnished. Ruined. His mother was dead. His dear mother. He loved her so much. Why did she have to die? And his father, the man he was supposed to have succeeded once he stepped down from his position as head of the clan. The protector of his people. The leader of the Konoha Police Force. He was dead. Everyone was dead. They were killed by the most prodigious Uchiha talent to have perhaps ever lived, to have perhaps ever existed. But there had to have been a good reason. A just reason. Maybe some tried to betray him? No, that didn't make any sense. He could have just turned them over to his father right? And even if it went beyond that, why not just kill _them_? Why kill the entire clan? There had to have been some kind of reason.

But there wasn't one.

"To test your capacity?"

The fear, the fever, it washed over Sasuke. And it turned him cruel. His fist was clenched so tight that his nails broke through the skin of his palm and caused him to bleed. Blood. He was so sick of it. But he would spill the blood of the one responsible if he had to. He was going to avenge them, to avenge all of them.

"Stop playing with me!"

Sasuke charged at him. To test his capacity? Was that the reason? Fine. He would defeat him, then he would kill him. Then everyone would be avenged.

But it didn't go quite as planned. Itachi had struck him with a firm punch to his gut. He felt like vomiting again. He collapsed onto the ground in front of his father and mother.

 _Father please wake up._ He thought.

 _Mother please, get up._

What as he thinking? Kill Itachi? Kill him? _No one_ could beat Itachi. He was so stupid. Sasuke was always in his brother's shadow, that's why he was so pale. He couldn't do anything to him. He definitely couldn't hurt him. But maybe his father could. Maybe he was just playing possum? Yea, a good shinobi uses deception to fool their enemies. If his father had something planned, then now would be the time to execute it.

 _Save me._

His father's lifeless eyes stared back at him.

 _Save me._

His father's lifeless eyes stared back at him.

 _Save me!_

His father's lifeless eyes stared back at him.

He was dead. And if he didn't run...

Then he would be dead too.

 _No. I don't wanna die!_

He stood up.

 _I don't wanna die!_

He began to run.

"I don't wanna die!"

He screamed at the top of his lungs. He was so scared. He could feel tears stream down his cheeks. He tried to be brave, but he didn't care about that. He didn't care about any of that. He just wanted to run. He just wanted to live. He wanted to live to play "kick the can" with everyone. He wanted to put that blonde boy in his place again. He wanted the girls to congratulate him. He wanted to grow up to become a shinobi, he wanted to find a wife and settle down. He wanted to have a kid. Preferably a daughter. He wouldn't mind having a daughter.

He wanted to live.

Itachi cut him off. That made Sasuke back away. But there was no escape. When he looked in Itachi's eyes, the only future he saw for himself was death. That's it. His brother had the eyes of a killer. No emotion, no soul, just calculated murderous intent that zeroed in on Sasuke and Sasuke alone. The person standing before him, it wasn't his brother. It couldn't be his brother. Brothers don't hurt each other. Brothers don't kill each other!

"This can't be true!" Sasuke shut his eyes and screamed as loud as he could. This was all a bad dream. He hoped that it was all just a very bad dream.

"You aren't my brother! What did you do with my real brother!? I want him back! Bring him back to me! Bring everyone back! Please!" Sasuke whimpered. He was cold. He was so cold. He wrapped his arms around himself to stop the shivering.

"Please..."

"The only reason I acted as the brother you desired, was to verify your capacity."

Sasuke's breath became hitched in his throat. What did he mean by that?

"You will become the one that will verify my own capacity. You carry that potential."

 _I have the potential...to equal him?_

"You detested me, you held a grudge against me, you were elated when father picked you to be the new successor in place of me."

 _N-No! That's not true! I felt sorry for you!_ Sasuke wanted to speak, but he found that he had lost his voice. He was frozen stiff. Did Itachi do this to him?

"You, like me, are capable of awakening the Mangekyou Sharingan. However, there is one special condition that must be met..."

A foreboding gust of wind blew past them both, carrying with it a bundle of crumpled leaves that have lost their color. It was a symbolism of sorts. For within the bundle of leaves, there were two that were exceptionally close. One of them had a slit on its side, and began to float back down to the Earth. The other floated higher and higher with the wind, until it ascended out of view.

"You must kill your best friend."

 _N-No way..._

 _Then that means you..._

"Just as I did to Uchiha Shisui."

 _That can't be true. It can't be! M-My brother killed Shisui!?_

"In the main building of the Nakano Temple, in the right corner to the rear of the room, under the seventh tatami mat, there lies the clan's Commentary Scroll. The scroll explains the true purpose of our clan's doujutsu. If you awaken it, there will be three people, along with me, that have ever used the Mangekyou Sharingan. If that happens, then there will be meaning in letting you live."

Itachi turned to pivot, which caused Sasuke to jump in fright.

"But as you are now, you are not worth killing. Foolish little brother. If you ever want to kill me, then hate me, detest me, live in eternal misery and shame. Run and run, never fight an opponent that is out of your capacity. Then one day..."

Itachi's eyes shifted. It wasn't the Sharingan. It was a perversion of it. It didn't look natural. Why did such a horrible thing exist?

"Come before me with the same eyes as I have."

 _No! I won't do it your way!_

Sasuke's eyes burned. They burned so much. They felt as if they were on fire. He thought it was because of his tears, because of how much he had cried, but then he saw his brother's eyes widen. He looked at him as if he had grown a second head. Why was he so shocked? But Sasuke quickly shook the thought from out of his mind. His brother had just let his guard down. Now was the time to avenge everyone!

 _Now's my chance!_

Sasuke picked up a kunai that was planted on the ground and flung it at his brother. It hit his brother's forehead protector and created a line through the Konoha leaf symbol. His brother was not amused. He gave Sasuke a death glare with one of his eyes, and then everything went dark.

He didn't know what Itachi did to him, but for one reason or another, he kept seeing his parents die. He was aware of the fact that it wasn't real, that it was an illusion. Color was displaced, there was no sense of time, but he could feel, he could see, and he could cry.

His brother hacked away at his mother first.

Her body went limp, and she fell. Why didn't she move? How did she not see him? Next was his father. Sasuke tried to yell, to scream, to warn him. But it didn't matter. He too fell, and he died. Then time would reverse itself. And it would happen all over again. He was tired of seeing his parents die. So he closed his eyes. But then he heard the sound of his brother's sword slicing through bone, the sound of blood spraying against the walls of his parent's bedroom. So he covered his ears. But he still kept seeing it. He still kept hearing it.

When would the nightmare end?

How long would it last?

He woke up, he finally woke up in a hospital bed. He panted, he sweated profusely. He stared at the ceiling panel for what felt like hours as he tried to make sense of it all.

It was just a dream right?

It didn't feel like he was in his bed, and the ceiling didn't look like his ceiling, but maybe his mind was just playing tricks on him due to the shock of the dream. He tried to move, but he felt a sharp pain from his shoulder. A pain so great that it hindered him. Had he hurt himself training? He used his other hand to move the sleeve back and saw the bandage that was there. Then it all came back to him.

 _So it wasn't a dream..._

He got up. He had to go out, get some air. But that was when he overheard two nurses talking with one another.

"Yes, that's right. He was the only one spared wasn't he?"

"What about his older brother?"

"No one knows where he is."

Sasuke gritted his teeth.

 _That man_ was no brother of his.

He was able to manage to sneak out of the hospital, and when he did, he ran as fast as he could toward the Uchiha Compound. Maybe, just maybe, everything would be normal. Maybe his brother just attacked him and left everyone else alone. Maybe...

He arrived at the compound and saw that there was yellow tape sectioning it off.

It was all real.

He entered it. He thought of his aunt, the kind shop lady who ran the market, as well as his uncle. He thought of her greeting him, of her smile, of the taste of her ripe tomatoes. They were always just right. They were never sweet, and that's what he loved about them. Always juicy, but never sweet. Now he would never be able to taste them again. Why hadn't he asked her how to grow tomatoes?

The rain began to fall as he trotted through the compound. Memories of his clan, of his people, his kind people, his loving people, flooded his mind, just like how the rain flooded the streets. Were they crying for him? Was his people crying for him? Was his father crying? He knew that his mother would cry. Her leaving her baby boy, it must have killed her, wherever she was.

He continued to walk. He didn't know for how long, but he suddenly found himself within the Nakano Temple, per instructions of _that man_.

 _In the right corner to the rear of the room..._

He approached the area.

 _Under the seventh tatami mat..._

He lifted the mat and was surprised to find a passage way there. Part of him had hoped that _that man_ had lied to him. He descended downward toward the temple, and lit a couple of candles with a match that had been left down there. He faced a stone tablet that had writing on it, and once he did so, he felt his eyes burn up again. It was an unbelievable heat, yet somehow it gave him even more clarity. He was able to decipher even more information from the stone tablet, and learned quite a lot about not only of the history of his clan, but the true purpose of the Sharingan itself. To control the Kyuubi, the Nine-Tailed Fox. At the price of blindness. That symbolized selflessness.

Sasuke gazed at his hands, and he was able to clearly see his chakra flow internally. Had he awakened his Sharingan? If so, then judging by what he had read, part of his purpose was to maintain a sort of...balance? He couldn't say for sure, but if it was within the capacity of Sharingan users to control the Kyuubi at the cost of their eyesight, then that would imply that his eye had something of a grander purpose. But _that man_ must have interpreted it differently. Once he began to realize the amount of power his eyes wielded, he must have became obsessive.

He perhaps asked himself the true limits of his power, and wanted someone to help him test it. If that was his mentality, then that meant that that man was a cancer to the world, a sickness for which Sasuke was the only cure for, and deep down, that man knew it. That's why he had allowed Sasuke to survive. To put a stop to him once and for all.


	2. Team Seven

Team Seven

"He's late!"

A blonde boy exclaimed whilst he peaked out of the classroom door in search of their would-be Jounin leader. The blonde was such a hyper and energetic person. So full of energy and life. And despite his glaring shortcomings, he was able to sneak up on and tie Sasuke up on one occasion, and give him a bit of a "surprise" lip lock on another. That event was something the young Uchiha hoped would never be spoken of, and he was embarrassed for even recollecting the memory of it. Still, the blonde tying him up had to have been a fluke. Sasuke had let his guard down, but he had learned his lesson. He would never let his guard down again, even around his own "comrades." No way was that loser, that poor excuse of a shinobi, was ever going to get the satisfaction of pinning him down ever again.

"Naruto!" A long pink haired girl exclaimed the blonde's name. "Why don't you just sit still?!"

Sasuke mentally agreed with her. Watching Naruto pace around the room, jump on the desks, and anxiously await their teacher with the patience of an untrained pup, only proved to have made Sasuke and the girl uncomfortable. Sasuke wouldn't usually agree with her sentiments, in fact, he usually wouldn't agree with any of her actions. She wasn't gawking and fawning over him, she was making snide, snarky remarks, such as when she bashed Naruto for his behavior then attributed it to the fact that he had no parents. _Sasuke_ had no parents, and he was just fine. But Naruto was the lucky one. Since he never had parents, he never had anything to lose. It hurt more to have had a bond severed, then to have never had the bond at all. The feeling that the emotional string that had once connected one with another could be forcibly removed without surgical precision, only caused one to suffer more. What that girl had said to him bothered him. It rubbed him the wrong way. She was annoying, and he was glad that he had told her that. Maybe then she would take the hint and keep her distance from him.

"But Sakura, why is the leader for our group the only one that's late?" Naruto whined at her. "All the other groups went somewhere with their teacher! And even Iruka-sensei went home!"

"That's not what's important-"

Naruto had blatantly ignored what Sakura had tried to say to him and placed a board eraser at the top corner of the door just out of one's line of sight. It was a juvenile prank, and a pretty stupid one. Their teacher should realize that something would be amiss when he would see that the door was mysteriously propped open, and once he saw that the eraser was there and that he would have been the victim of such an absurd prank, they would all be chastised as a group despite the fact that Sasuke had not participated in the slightest. It seemed that in the end working within a group would only serve to stifle him. _That man_ had said it himself. Only _he_ could defeat him, no one else.

"This is what he gets for being late!" Naruto exclaimed with a mischievous grin.

"Well it's not our fault if you get in trouble!" Sakura fired back at him.

Sasuke couldn't help but chastise Naruto for his stupidity. "A jounin won't fall for such a juvenile prank."

"Yea Naruto! You're so stupid-"

Someone was about to enter the classroom.

A silver haired, masked man slid the door open.

The eraser fell atop of his head.

And Naruto burst into laughter.

"He fell for it! He fell for it!" The energetic blonde pointed at their would be teacher and continued to laugh uncontrollably.

How did that stupid prank work on him? It surely wouldn't have worked on _that man._ Weren't Jounin around _his_ caliber of skill and intellect? Or did they not make them like they used to anymore?

"I'm sorry sensei! I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen!" Sakura apologized sweetly.

 _For real? Is this really a Jounin?_

Sasuke didn't know anything about this man, but he had felt that he had seen enough already. This man wasn't capable of being on time, and he wasn't perceptive enough to see through an elementary prank. He must have been a joke of a Jounin who was forced to teach Genin due to the fact that he wasn't fit enough to go on real missions or to handle real assignments.

The masked man absentmindedly picked up the eraser and began to think long and hard about what he was about to say, then finally said, "I hate you. I hate every single last one of you."

An overbearing weight of shame bore down on the young trio.

 _He's lumping me up with them?_ Sasuke lamented.

Their teacher then lead them to the Academy rooftop, where he then instructed for them to introduce themselves. The way he phrased it however, made it seem as if he wasn't the least bit interested.

"I already hate you guys, but maybe you could make up for it by telling me a bit about yourselves."

"What kinds of things should we say?" Sakura inquired.

The "Jounin" nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Tell me what you like, what you don't like, your hobbies, your dreams, stuff like that I guess."

"Hey sensei, why don't you just introduce yourself first?" Naruto asked of him. He probably just wanted to use whatever template that their teacher did.

"Me?" The silver-haired man asked in mild shock. He probably thought of himself as a very uninteresting person. "My name is Hatake Kakashi. I have no intention of telling you my likes and dislikes, I don't really have a dream, and...I have a few hobbies."

Sakura groaned and mumbled to the rest of the group, "So all we found out was his name."

"Yeah," Naruto nodded.

"Alright, now it's time for the rest of you. You first," He gestured towards Naruto, who began to fidget around excitedly.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I like cup ramen, but I like the ramen at Ichiraku's place that Iruka-sensei buys me even more. I hate the three minutes you have to wait once you put hot water in the cup ramen, and my main hobby is to collect and compare ramen! And my dream is to become greater than all of the Hokages!" Upon his declaration, he began to adjust his headband ever so slightly. It was a symbol that others had to recognize him for being a ninja, but he wanted to take it a step further than that.

"I want everyone to recognize me and to acknowledge me!"

"Okay, okay, next one," His gaze shifted to Sakura.

"I'm Sakura Haruno! I like...well...the person who I like is..." She gave Sasuke an affectionate glance, but he showed no indication of listening to anything that she had said. Which in truth, he didn't.

"My hobby is..." She looked at Sasuke once more. "And my dream is to..." She stole another glance at him.

"So, what do you hate?" Kakashi inquired. She had left that last part out.

" _Naruto."_ She growled.

The blonde boy began to sulk. Tears of hurt and rejection streamed down his cheeks as he plotted ways to try and earn the pink haired girl's affection.

"Alright, last guy."

 _I'll make this quick_. He thought to himself. He felt like if he stayed there any longer that he was going to lose his mind. Every second of every day that he spent not improving on his skills as a ninja was a waste. He _needed_ to achieve his goal.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I don't like a lot of things, and I don't hate a lot of things," He began to say. If their sensei could be vague with his responses, then that meant that he could be vague as well.

"I don't have a dream, I have an absolute goal. To revive my clan, and to kill _that_ man."

"Alright! You three have some interesting personalities! Maybe I won't end up hating you all after all. We'll start with a mission tomorrow."

"What kind of mission!?" Naruto enthusiastically asked.

"Well...it's going to be something that we four can do together."

"And what's that!?" Naruto pressed.

"Survival training."

"Survival training?" Naruto repeated, trying to make sense of what he had just been told.

But Sakura had not only processed what had been said, but she had came up with the proper follow-up question as well.

"Why is our mission to train when we have already trained at the Academy?"

"This is no ordinary training," Kakashi said.

"Then what kind of training _is_ it?" Naruto asked. He felt lost.

Their teacher chuckled darkly, and Sakura glared daggers at him.

"What's so funny?"

"Well it's just that, you three are going to be in for quite the shock when I tell you this but..."

"Huh? What is it?" Naruto asked.

"Out of the twenty-seven graduates, only _nine_ will be Genin. The other eighteen will be sent back to the Academy. To put it plainly, the test that I'm about to put you through has a sixty-six percent drop-out rate."

The looks on all of his student's faces made Kakashi chuckle even harder. "See? See? I told you that you were going to be surprised!"

"But that doesn't make any sense!" Naruto exclaimed. "I went through _so_ much trouble just to get here! What in the world was the Academy's final exam for?!"

"It picks out those who are qualified to be Genin."

"What!?" Naruto whined.

"Anyways, I'm going to determine whether or not you pass or fail tomorrow at the training grounds. Bring all of your ninja equipment and meet at five in the morning sharp!"

Kakashi then stood up and turned to take his leave, but another thought occurred to him. "Oh yea, right, don't eat breakfast. You'll just throw it back up."

* * *

The trio convened at the training grounds on time as instructed. Naruto and Sakura groggily greeted one another, but Sasuke was much more alert than they were. They didn't have the kind of dreams that he had, so they probably weren't used to functioning without much sleep. It was exceedingly rare for the young Uchiha to get some decent shut eye. The images of _that man's_ sword slicing through the back of his father and mother prevented him from fully falling asleep. There was only one way for the nightmares to end, but if he didn't pass the test here, then he would have to live with his nightmares even longer.

Time began to slowly pass, and before Sasuke knew it, the sun began to come up. He should have known that he was going to be late, but he figured that maybe he would be on time his for the final exam that he himself set up. The Uchiha sighed, how did this guy become a Jounin? All shinobi were taught at the Academy the importance of punctuality. The importance of discipline. The last time Sasuke was late, he came home to find his entire clan killed, and was greeted with the corpses of his father and mother. Greeted with _that man_ standing over them with the blood of his own people caked on his katana. If only he had been on time, if only he had been there...

"Good morning everyone!" Kakashi cheerfully greeted.

"You're late!" Naruto and Sakura shouted at him.

"A black cat crossed my path so..."

Naruto and Sakura shot him a death glare. What kind of excuse was that?

"Anyways, let's move on shall we?" Kakashi approached a log and placed an alarm clock on it. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple of small bells that were tied together with a thin red string.

"Your objective is to try and take these bells from me. Whoever doesn't however, gets tied to the log over there and will not eat lunch."

Sasuke's stomach growled. _That's why he said don't eat breakfast..._

"But wait, why are there only two bells?" Sakura asked.

"That's because out of the three of you, at least one will have to be tied to the log. That person will fail since he failed the mission, and will be sent back to the Academy. It might be just one of you, or it could be all three of you. You may use whatever you'd like, but know this, you won't be able to get these if you don't attack me with the intent to kill."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at him. There was only _one man_ that he had the resolve to kill. If he were to focus all of his anger, all of his rage, all of his resentment onto this "Jounin" instructor, who couldn't even be on time, who couldn't even see through the most basic of all pranks, then he would surely die.

"But that's too dangerous sensei!" Sakura exclaimed. She didn't possess the will to kill, that much was clear.

"Yea! You couldn't even dodge a chalk eraser!" Naruto exclaimed with a chuckle.

"In society, those who don't have many abilities tend to complain more. So, don't heed the guy with the lowest marks out of all the graduates."

Naruto glared at him.

"Anyways, we're going to begin when I say start-"

Naruto gripped his kunai and charged directly at Kakashi. Sasuke was wrong to think that he was the only one who had the capacity to kill, because the blonde seemed more than willing to put their teacher down for good all over one little insult. Kakashi managed to grip Naruto's wrist which held the kunai and point it at the back of his own head. It happened so fast that Sasuke's eyes could barely keep up.

"Don't get too hasty, I didn't give you the go ahead yet." He released Naruto's wrist, who winced and moved it around to get the feeling in it back.

 _He just might be a Jounin after all._

"Ready, start!"

They scattered.

 _Sasuke, one of the fundamental techniques a shinobi must learn is the ability to conceal their presence. You hide while I try and find you._

 _That_ man had taught him early. As much as he wanted to forget about _him_ , he couldn't forget his teachings. They were essential, and he planned on someday using his own teachings against him. It wasn't hard for Sasuke to find a comfortable enough hiding spot within all the shrubbery.

 _A good rule of thumb is to not find a spot too high, and to not stick too close to the ground. If you're too high, you increase your chance of being spotted. If you're too low, you run the risk of slowing down your reaction time._

 _His_ words echoed in his mind. _This should be a good spot._

He squatted on a tree branch that wasn't too high on the tree, but not too low either. From there he would be able to keep a close eye on Kakashi.

"Let's have a match fair and square!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sasuke sighed. _This idiot._ Did he have _any_ concept of what it meant to be a shinobi?

"You're a little weird compared to the others aren't you?" Kakashi quipped.

"The only thing 'weird' is your stupid haircut!"

What a comeback.

Naruto charged straight toward the white haired Jounin, which was a useless endeavor. Did he forget what happened the last time he tried to do that? Kakashi reached into his pouch with a bored expression, and Naruto jumped backwards. Well, at least he wasn't _completely_ brain dead.

"Hmmm, what should the first lesson be?" Kakashi gazed up into the sky.

"I know. Basic shinobi core skill number one, taijutsu. That will be the first lesson."

Kakashi reached into his pouch and opened up a book which he began to read nonchalantly.

"Wait what? Why did you take that book out!?"

"Why? Because I left off at the good part. Even if I wasn't reading this book, the result would be the same."

Naruto's fist clenched, and Sasuke couldn't help but sigh.

 _Idiot, don't let him provoke you._

"I'm going to pound you!"

Naruto charged straight for him, and his punch attempt was easily dealt with by the Jounin's palm. The blonde's feet touched down onto the Earth, as soon as it did so, he sprung back into action and twisted his body around with his dominant leg leading the way in a roundhouse kick attempt. Kakashi ducked it, all the while he continued to read. He was doing well for someone with only one good eye, but perhaps for a Jounin, this was all but a walk in the park.

"Damn it!" Naruto charged in for another punch attempt, but Kakashi was far too fast. Sasuke had a difficult time keeping up with him without the aid of his Sharingan. He didn't want to have to use it, it drained him too much, he would have to portion his chakra use wisely.

"A ninja should not let an enemy get behind him multiple times, idiot."

 _That seal is for fire elements._

Sasuke knew it all too well. Whenever he performed the **Katon Goukakyuu No Jutsu** , the final seal was the tiger seal. But, did Kakashi really use his hand seals that quickly? Sasuke only managed to catch him perform one. And if he really intended to use such a high level ninjutsu on Naruto at close range, then the blonde would be a goner.

 _This guy, he was serious about us needing the intent to kill._

"Naruto! Run! You're going to die!" Sakura shouted to warn him.

 _Idiot, she just compromised her position._

"Konoha Secret Taijutsu: **Sennen Goroshi**!"

Kakashi's fingers pressed into Naruto's posterior, and it sent the unfortunate blonde shinobi sailing into the water.

Sasuke sighed again.

 _They're both idiots._

Once Kakashi took his book out and began to pick up where he left off, Sasuke began to reach for his weapon's pouch.

 _Should I attack now? Or should I wait?_ He thought. If he was to attack too soon, then it would be all for nothing. But this was a Jounin he was talking about, they were supposed to have been the most elite of the elite. Did they ever truly let their guard down? This guy though, he was different. He was too easy going, too free flowing. Perhaps he was on the verge of being demoted, and to prove himself worthy of the rank, he had to take on the responsibility of training Genin. But still, disgraced Jounin or not, he was still a Jounin. He was still leagues ahead of them all.

 _But I won't know until I try right?_

From the water came two shuriken directly for Kakashi. He nonchalantly caught them by placing his fingers into the hole in the center and continued to read as if nothing happened. Sasuke moved his hand away from his pouch and groaned internally.

 _So much for that plan._

Naruto began to slowly climb from out of the water and onto the grassy meadow. He hacked and coughed, and Kakashi regarded him with a condescending tone.

"What's wrong? At this rate, you won't be able to get lunch by noon."

"I already know that!" Naruto shot back.

"You said that you wanted to surpass all of the previous Hokages? You seem to be showing me otherwise."

Naruto's stomach growled. "Damn it all! I can still fight! Even if I'm hungry!"

Sasuke's stomach growled as well.

 _If only I could eat something..._

Kakashi began to walk away from Naruto, who shouted at him, "I was just caught off guard awhile ago, that's all!"

Kakashi gave no indication that he was paying Naruto any attention.

"I _will_ become a ninja!"

From out of the water came six more Naruto's suddenly. The blonde boy declared boldly that his technique would spell the end for the Jounin.

 _Bushins? A low level technique like that won't work._ Sasuke thought.

However, once they all touched down on the ground, and he saw the grass move beneath their sandals, he knew that they weren't just regular bushins. Normal bushins couldn't affect the environment in any way. There was no mistake about it, those clones were real.

 _But real clones or not, Naruto is still way out of his depth-_

Sasuke heard something in the distance. Was it foot steps? It definitely was. Someone was out there, but who was it? He turned to get a better look, and he couldn't help but smirk at what he had seen.

 _I see._

As Naruto and his clones charged toward Kakashi, the person whom caught Sasuke's attention snuck up behind the Jounin and wrapped his body around him to immobilize him. Sasuke was impressed, so much so that he found himself...admiring Naruto? He felt his face heat up at the thought. He was red, but it wasn't due to any kind of affection. But it was because Naruto always seemed to have infinite stamina, to have infinite energy. They were all hungry, and tired, but Naruto was not only able to create a few _real_ bushin clones, but to have one sneak all the way around the river and use the others as a distraction, it was nothing less than impressive.

 _A feint operation eh?_

"A ninja shouldn't let the enemy get behind him. Right, Kakashi-sensei?"

Naruto was poised to punch Kakashi right in his face, however, he only managed to hit his own clone instead. Sasuke's glare intensified. He almost didn't catch it. Naruto however, began to accuse one of his clones of being Kakashi in a henge, or a transformation. Sasuke glared at the blonde dumbly.

 _Idiot, he didn't use the transformation jutsu, he used the replacement jutsu. I should have known that he wouldn't get caught so easily. In this case, he allowed himself to get caught on purpose, perhaps to prove a point. He swapped places with one of the Naruto clones before Naruto's attack connected, which made Naruto hit himself. He used Naruto's own jutsu against him._

But there was another thing that troubled him. During that entire exchange with Naruto, Kakashi was still able to keep his guard up. He showed no signs of weakness, and he could feel the Jounin's alertness even from his vantage point. Still, Sasuke had to wait. He had to be patient.

He heard Naruto exclaim when he fell into Kakashi's trap, and the young Uchiha sighed again.

 _Of course it's a trap._

Kakashi reached for the bell and proceeded to lecture Naruto. "Think about using your techniques carefully, if you don't, then they can be used against you. Also, don't fall for obvious traps, idiot. Ninjas need to think beyond what a normal person would think."

"I already know that!" Naruto angrily shouted whilst he dangled from the tree.

"I'm telling you this because you don't." Kakashi chided.

Sasuke leaned in to get a closer look. Were his eyes deceiving him? Kakashi's hand were on his hips, he had turned his entire body toward Naruto and showed his back to the Uchiha. There were so many unguarded spots. So many holes, so many openings. His hand began to tremble as adrenaline pumped through him.

 _Now's my chance!_

His eyes grew wide. He didn't need his Sharingan. He could see, he could _clearly_ see.

 _He finally dropped his guard!_

Sasuke brandished a shuriken in each hand and threw it directly at the silver haired Jounin, he then reached into his pouch and threw a couple of kunai to give his shuriken some company. He wasn't going to squander the opportunity that was given to him. Kakashi said so himself. It would be impossible to pass without going at him with the intent to kill.

 _A replacement!?_

The Uchiha hadn't seen that coming, but he knew that he should have anticipated it. Kakashi had never let his guard down to begin with, he had only allowed himself to _look_ as if he did so that Sasuke would attack him, and from there the Jounin would be able to pinpoint his location. But Sasuke wasn't going to allow himself to get caught that easily.

While trying to find another hiding spot, he heard Sakura scream and cursed beneath his breath. Naruto was caught in the world's simplest trap and Sakura had been rendered unconscious due to Kakashi's genjutsu. Sasuke would had been able to easily see through it, and he wouldn't need to waste his Sharingan either. Whatever _that man_ had done to him, the images that he made him see, it was something far more terrible than a simple genjutsu. It was a perpetual nightmare.

"I want you to know that I'm different than the rest of them." Sasuke said.

He had felt Kakashi's presence behind him.

"Why don't you say that after taking one of the bells, Sasuke- _kun._ " The Jounin taunted.

Sasuke reached into his weapon's pouch and threw more shuriken, which Kakashi easily dodged.

"You'd have to do better than that!" Kakashi said.

Little did he know, he was doing exactly what the young Uchiha wanted him to do. Sasuke had set up a trap moments before Kakashi had arrived, and his initial attack was nothing more than a decoy. He threw a kunai to sever a rope, which in turn launched even more weapons at the Jounin, who was forced to increase his speed to get out of dodge.

 _Now! Sharingan!_

In order to keep up with him, Sasuke had to activate his Sharingan, in doing so, he knew exactly where Kakashi was going to go. It was as if time itself had slowed down, and the Jounin became an open book to him. Sasuke moved as quickly as he could, and he beat Kakashi to the spot in which his Sharingan eye had predicted he would be. He deactivated his Sharingan in order to conserve chakra, and after he flanked him, he went for a kick whilst he was still in the air.

Kakashi blocked it, then he gripped Sasuke's ankle, which Sasuke had expected. The Jounin wanted to toss him, but Sasuke wouldn't let him get the chance. Since Kakashi was holding him in place, Sasuke was able to continue his mid-air assault with a hard punch. He feinted as if he was going toward the silver haired man's face, but in truth he wanted to occupy his other hand. Then for the icing on the cake, he contorted his body and attempted to aim a kick towards Kakashi's arm to further expose the bells. And since Sasuke was upside down now and had a clear enough vantage point, coupled with the fact that he had both of Kakashi's arms occupied, meant that the bells were ripe for the picking.

The Uchiha smirked and reached for one of the bells, but Kakashi was able to disengage by jumping as far away as possible. Sasuke grimaced. He was so close. He had felt the bell, he practically had it in the palm of his hand.

"Well, I'll admit that you're different from the other two."

Sasuke scoffed.

 _Let me show you how different._

He went through the handseals of a technique he was able to perform since he was a child. This jutsu was second nature to him, and from this range, even a Jounin would find it incredibly difficult to completely dodge it, especially if he wasn't expecting it.

" **Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu**!"

A Jounin wouldn't expect a Genin to be able to perform such an advanced jutsu, however, most Jounin weren't aware of the fact that you were not considered to be a true Uchiha until you were able to properly perform the technique.

A stream of fire spewed forth from Sasuke's mouth, and he concentrated it at Kakashi's location. He didn't expect to kill him, despite his intent to, but he wanted to force him to react, to move, to run, to show some kind of opening, then he would quickly follow up. However, once the fire began to dissipate, and the smoke began to clear, Sasuke was astonished to find that Kakashi was gone. He had vanished without a trace.

 _Where is he?!_

Sasuke looked for him frantically.

 _Is he behind me?_ He checked his rear but saw nothing.

 _Is he above?_ He looked toward the morning sky but still saw nothing.

 _Then where!?_

"Beneath you."

 _What!?_

A hand gripped his ankle. Sasuke looked down to see that it was in fact Kakashi's hand. His mind thought back to when he performed his Katon jutsu, or fire technique, and there was a vital detail in which he had overlooked. There was a hole in the ground from where Kakashi once stood, a hole in which Sasuke had assumed was there due to the power of his technique, but he was sorely mistaken.

" **Doton: Shiniuuzanshu no Jutsu**!"

 _I was careless!_

Sasuke's body was forcibly dragged beneath the ground until his head was the only thing that was visible.

"How is it? Can't move right?" Kakashi asked in a condescending tone.

"That was the third basic shinobi core skill, ninjutsu." Sasuke scoffed at him. If he hadn't been so careless, then he would have saw through his elementary ninjutsu.

"Hey, don't be like that, your are exceptionally talented. However, they say that stakes that stand out the most get driven back into the ground." Kakashi quipped as he walked away while reading his book.

Sasuke cursed himself.

 _Me and him are this different in strength? Then how will I ever kill-_

He saw Sakura appear from one of the bushes. She turned to look at him, and she had a very troubled and bothered expression on her face. Why did she look as if she had just seen a ghost?

"Oh, it's you Sakura."

"Oh no! Now it's a severed head!" Sakura screamed at the top of her lungs, before she then suddenly collapsed onto the ground.

Sasuke sighed once more. _What the hell was up with her?_

After spending quite some time struggling, Sasuke was finally able to free himself from the ground. Once he did so, he decided to check up on Sakura, who began to come to.

"Sasuke-kun! You're okay!" She scream excitedly as she latched on to him.

Sasuke, however, tried to pull her off of him.

"Hey! Stop! You're too close!"

After he was able to finally pry her off of him, he stood up and began to walk away.

"Wait, Sasuke-kun, where are you going?"

"We don't have long left until noon. I'm going to try and get the bells."

Sakura gasped. "Sasuke-kun, you're still going to keep trying?"

"I was able to touch them, next time I'll take them."

"Oh wow, you really are amazing Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke began to walk away, but Sakura got his attention once more.

"But you know Sasuke-kun, why don't we just, give up for now? He's way out of our league, why don't we just dedicate ourselves to getting stronger or something, and to try harder next time?"

Sasuke shot her a bone chilling death glare. It was true, the more she talked, the more she annoyed him. She didn't understand the first thing about him. When _that man_ took everything from him, when _that man_ took _everyone_ from him, he also took whatever paths that Sasuke had open for him as well, and only left him with one. Sasuke was the one destined to kill him, that was something _that man_ had said himself.

"I _have_ to kill him."

An ominous wind blew, carrying with it leaves from a far off tree. That gust of wind, it reminded him of that night. The night _that man_ betrayed his clan, betrayed his people, and worst yet, he betrayed _him_ , the very person whom admired him the most.

"Kill who?" Sakura blinked, confused. "Sensei?"

"My..."

 _No. He's not my brother anymore. He never was to begin with._

"I will avenge my clan, but I fear that if I stumble here, even if there will be more opportunities in the future to become a Genin, I fear that if I fail here, that if I fail now, I would be forced to change my path. And I have no intention on doing that."

They both heard the sound of an alarm clock buzzing in the distance.

 _Damn it, I spent too much time talking._

Sasuke and Sakura went to the original meeting place where the singular log was, and unsurprisingly, they saw that Naruto was tied to it. They didn't question it, they just sat down and waited for further instruction.

"I bet your stomachs are really growling eh?" Kakashi quipped.

All three of them groaned.

"Oh by the way, about the results of the training, none of you need to go back to the Academy."

Naruto and Sakura began to celebrate cheerfully. Sasuke wanted to as well, but he knew that passing was just the first step for a much longer road. But still, it felt good to be finally recognized as a Konoha shinobi.

"That's right, you three..."

" **Should quit being ninjas**."

An unbearable weight anchored down on the trio. Sasuke himself felt his blood boil. Was he really told to hang it up? To quit? If he did that, then all of those lives lost that night, who was going to avenge them? Who was going to set their spirits to rest?

"Quit being ninjas!? Sure we couldn't get a bell, but that doesn't mean that we should quit!" Naruto exclaimed.

"It's because you three are just kids that don't deserve to be ninjas."

That was the last straw.

An always late, nonchalant, barely passable "Jounin" wasn't going to decide his fate for him. He wasn't going to change his path, to dictate his destiny. Sasuke charged directly at him at full speed, and with full force. He left arm was extended out, and he fingers were pressed together whilst extended. If he focused just enough chakra there, then he would be able to cut his throat. And that would be the end of it.

But in a flash, Sasuke was on the ground, and Kakashi's boot was pressed against the back of his skull.

"See? You're just kids. Do you think that being a ninja is easy? Why do you think that you were broken into groups in the first place?"

They could not answer.

"Geez, are you three so brain dead that you can't understand why you were put into a group?"

They still couldn't provide him with an answer.

"The answer is teamwork!"

Shock was plastered on the trio's visage.

"If all three of you came at me at once, then you might have been able to get a bell."

"Wait! But then why are there only two bells?! If all three people were able to get both bells, then one person would be left out! That doesn't encourage teamwork, that creates conflict!"

"Of course! This test purposefully pits the three of you against one another. It encourages one to put the needs of the group ahead of themselves. But all three of you were pathetic. For instance, Sakura, you cared more about Sasuke than Naruto, even though Naruto was right in front of you and you didn't even know where Sasuke was in the first place. And then there's you Naruto, all you did was try and do everything on your own! Do you think that all the other Hokage had the same mentality as you did!?" Kakashi then pressed his sandal against the back of Sasuke's head.

"And finally, there's you. Instead of choosing to coordinate your attacks with Naruto, or trying to work a plan out with Sakura, you avoided them altogether because you thought that they would only weigh you down. That is not the way of the shinobi!" Kakashi exclaimed.

"Missions are done in groups. It's true that a shinobi needs to develop themselves as individuals, but what good is having those abilities if you don't know how to use them to help your team?" Kakashi explained.

"Now, let me give you a real life example," Kakashi reached into his pouch and took out a kunai which he then put to Sasuke's throat. "Sakura! Kill Naruto or Sasuke dies!"

Naruto and Sakura gasped. They weren't prepared to encounter such a serious situation.

"These are the kind of choices that a shinobi has to make. If the options given to them are unacceptable, then they have to create a viable option not only for themselves, but for their teammates as well." Kakashi got off of Sasuke and began to walk towards a stone monument situated a few feet away from them.

"Over here is a memorial for heroes of the village. Their names will be forever etched on this stone for all to see."

"I like that! I like that! I want to be a hero just like them!" Naruto shouted.

Kakashi turned to looked at him. "But these aren't just normal heroes."

"Oh? Then what kind of heroes are they!?" He pressed. Being Hokage was top priority, but he wanted to add getting his name carved into the stone tablet on to his list as well.

"They were killed in action."

For a brief moment, Sasuke wondered if every shinobi from his clan's names were etched on to that stone as well. Was dying by _that man's_ hands considered being killed in action? Or was it more akin to simple murder?

"Some of my friends have their names written on here as well." Kakashi said somberly.

Sasuke took notice of the fact that Kakashi was staring hard at a particular spot, to be more precise, Kakashi had been staring at one particular name. He couldn't tell for sure because of the distance between them, but whoever it was, it must have been a very important person to him.

"I'll give you all one more chance," Kakashi said finally.

The name that the Jounin had stared at must have given him a change of heart.

"We'll continue the battle for the bell after lunch, however, Naruto isn't allowed to have any. It's his punishment for trying to break the rules and eat lunch early. If anyone tries to feed him, then they will fail." Kakashi gave one final warning before disappearing in a cloud of white smoke.

Sasuke and Sakura began to eat. Their lunch wasn't anything special, just store bought bento which consisted of rice, some beef and turkey slices, and sushi as well. It wasn't Sasuke's cup of tea, but it was all he had to eat.

Naruto groaned and his stomach growled. Sasuke looked at the blonde boy's pained face and frowned inwardly. He looked so pathetic.

"It's okay if I don't eat! I'll be fine!" His stomach growled again.

"Just fine..." His voiced trailed off.

The Uchiha gazed at Naruto's pained expression, and he was reminded of the moment when he, at least somewhat successfully, snuck up behind Kakashi and pinned him down. Even though the Jounin had saw it coming, Sasuke still acknowledged that it was a good try. If they wanted to pass, then everyone needed to be at their best. It would be hard for Naruto to contribute on an empty stomach.

"Here," he offered Naruto a portion of his bento.

"Wait, Sasuke-kun, sensei just said that-"

"Don't worry, I don't sense him nearby. And besides, we'll need Naruto at his best for the second round. So it can't be helped."

Sakura gave an exasperated sigh and offered her food to Naruto, but he couldn't eat with his arms tied, which meant that Sakura would have to feed him. The two went back and forth about it, which made Sasuke feel uneasy. They were wasting too much time.

"Hurry up before he comes back," Sasuke warned.

Sakura informed Naruto that it would be a one time situation, to which Naruto gave a nod of affirmation. No later than Naruto took a bite out of Sakura's food however, did Kakashi appear in a cloud of white smoke. A harsh maelstrom of wind blanketed them completely. Sasuke did all he could to resist the strength of it. Just how powerful was a Jounin?

"You three broke the rule," Kakashi said menacingly. "Are you prepared for the punishment?" The silver haired Jounin began to form a series of handsigns for a jutsu that Sasuke didn't recognize.

Once he completed it, storm clouds began to gather above them, and the sound of thunder followed the flash of lightning. This guy, he was strong enough to change the weather at will? What a monster. And this was someone that Sasuke thought he could truly kill? He was mistaken, he was sorely mistaken.

"Any last words?"

"B-But..." Naruto tried to speak, but he was too afraid to say anything.

"But you said it yourself didn't you?" Sasuke began to say. "If the options given to you are unacceptable, then you must make your own right? That's why we decided to break your rule. If we were to succeed as a team and take the bells from you then Naruto had to be in the best condition possible."

Sakura saw that Sasuke wasn't going to give any ground, and that gave her the courage to agree with what he had said. "That's right sensei! We three are one! If one of us eats, then we all eat! If one of us starves, then we all starve together, just like we had to earlier this morning! We all share the same fate!"

"That's right!" Naruto shouted. "They were willing to break the rules for me! So even if I don't pass, at least pass them! They deserve it more than me!"

"Didn't you hear what Sakura said idiot?" Sasuke glared at Naruto. "Either we all pass, or we all fail. We shall face our fate together." The Uchiha smirked at the blonde, whose eyes began to water.

 _If the path he set before me was one that I was truly born to walk, then I won't be setback by something like this. If it's a path that I wasn't meant to walk, then, I will do as Kakashi said and quit being a ninja._

Sasuke was tired. He was so tired. He held on to his hatred for years, his parent's deaths haunted him for years, he was unable to get restful sleep for years, and he couldn't bring himself to establish any meaningful connections with others for years. He was tired, tired of everything. Tired of trying to be a shinobi.

 _If I fail here,if I walk away from it all, then maybe I will finally be able to sleep. Maybe I will finally be able to find peace. To walk a different path.  
_

That's right, if Sasuke failed here, then he would give it all up. _That_ man had tormented him long enough. He had lacerated his psyche, deconstructed his mental state, and laid out a new blueprint for the young Uchiha to follow. It was as if he was a wind-up doll, and _that man_ kept cranking and cranking, and once he had cranked Sasuke enough, he set him down made him walk the path he laid out for him. But that path drained him, that path exhausted him, and like a one-wind up doll, once it fell, once it stopped moving, it would only keep going if the owner of the doll picked it up and cranked it once more.

If Sasuke failed here, if he fell down, then he would just lie there. He wasn't going to allow _that_ man to crank him. Not anymore.

"Alright then," Kakashi began to say. The trio awaited their punishment with baited breath.

"You three pass."

Silence.

"I said, you three pass." He reiterated.

"Sasuke, you paid attention to what I said earlier about the difficult choices a shinobi must make, and you correctly applied it to the situation at hand. You knew that my terms were unacceptable since they would bring the whole team down, you wanted to make your own way. You are an extremely intelligent and sharp person, and I do believe that with enough hard work, you'll be able to restore your clan and perhaps make it even better than it has ever been."

He then turned to Sakura. "Sakura, you are very perceptive, and you are a very empathetic person, even if you don't always show it. Deep down, I think you care about Naruto almost as much as you care about Sasuke, that's why you were willing to go through with Sasuke's request. Not only that, but you also mentioned that the three of you were one. When you starved earlier with them, you felt their pain, and when you saw Naruto starving while you were eating, you didn't want him to suffer any longer. You possess instinctive maternal qualities, and I believe that you will make a fine medical ninja someday."

Naruto and Sakura blushed and looked away from one another in embarrassment.

"And as for you Naruto, you may have broken the rules, but once you saw your teammates stick their neck out for you, you regretted ever putting them in the position to do so. As such, you pleaded that they both pass while you got sent back to the Academy. You put the needs of your allies ahead of your own. You said that you wanted to be a Hokage so that everyone would acknowledge you, but I do not believe that's truly the case. You may say that, but deep down you want to be the Hokage because you want to make bonds with others and to protect the ones you care about. In essence, you already know what it truly means to be a Hokage. Now you just have to work on actually becoming one."

Naruto wept openly. "S-Sensei? Do you really mean all that!?"

Kakashi nodded. "I do. I am very fortunate to have each and every one of you as my students. Now, the training ends here, and everyone passes. Starting tomorrow, team seven will begin to embark on official missions!"

"Yes sir!" Sakura exclaimed.

"I did it! I'm a ninja! A ninja! A ninja!" Naruto shouted excitedly.

Sasuke smirked inwardly. It was funny how things played out. He had began to make peace with life without being a ninja. Yet, him and his team officially passed the test, and became real Konoha shinobi.

 _It looks like you put me on the right path after all._


	3. To The Wave Country

To The Land Of Waves

"No! No more! No more dumb missions!"

Naruto exclaimed to the Sandaime. He was beside himself. All of the running around to find a lost pet, the yard work, the fence painting, the grocery shopping, he was tired of it all. Sasuke couldn't blame him. Did being a shinobi mean nothing more than a glorified handy-man? There was absolutely no way that he would ever be able to manage to reach his goal at the rate he was going. _None_ of them would be able to reach _any_ of the even modest goals that they had given themselves if they continued to run around and perform all of the villager's chores for them. Was _that man_ ever subjected to this?

"Idiot!" Iruka exclaimed to the grumbling blonde. "You are a rookie Genin! You have no experience! These are the only types of missions that you are allowed to do!"

"But that's stupid-"

Kakashi gave Naruto a firm hit on the back of the blonde's head to send him face first onto the wooden floor. Even though Sasuke shared Naruto's sentiments, he was glad that he was disciplined for his immature behavior. There was a way to address such matters, and Naruto's way was not it.

"Cut it out," Was all Kakashi said.

"Naruto," The Sandaime finally addressed him. "It seems that I must explain to you why things are the way they are."

This got Team Seven's attention.

"Listen, a lot of clients come to this village on a daily basis. Their requests range from babysitting to assassinations. All requests are then put into different categories based on the difficulty of said request. S ranked missions are the most difficult, and only the most experienced shinobi can carry out these missions. Jounins and Anbu Black Ops members can carry out such missions. A ranked missions are just a step below S ranked and are mostly suitable for Jounins and Anbu Black Ops members as well. B ranked missions usually require a small team of Chuunins, or perhaps even a couple of Chuunin with a Jounin leader depending on the circumstances. And finally, C and D ranked missions are missions that are safe for Genin to embark on under the watchful eye of a Jounin leader-"

"So guys, I had tonkotsu ramen yesterday right? It was pretty good and all but I'm going to try something different today and get some miso ramen-"

"Are you paying attention!?" The Third barked.

Sasuke hated to admit it, but listening to Naruto talk about his favorite flavors of ramen and the types he hadn't tried yet was far more interesting than being lectured about something he learned at the Academy early on.

"Listen to me pops, I'm not the same kid that used to pull stupid pranks all the time. I am a ninja now! A real one! And I want a _real_ mission! How can I ever become Hokage one day if all I ever do is everyone else's chores!?" Naruto exclaimed.

The Sandaime took a moment to take a drag from his pipe as he began to consider what Naruto had said. "Okay, very well, if you insist, I will assign you to a C ranked mission."

Sasuke was surprised that the Sandaime gave into Naruto's demand, but he was relieved as well.

"It will be an escort mission."

Naruto began to grow excited. "Really!? Who are we escorting!? A feudal lord!? A princess!?"

"Now, Now, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Now, would the client please come in?"

They all turned to witness an intoxicated middle-aged man stagger into the room. He shot a glare of contempt towards the Genin, and it made Sasuke rather uncomfortable to say the least.

"Hey, hey, is the small little twerp really a ninja?"

Naruto bellowed with laughter. "Which one is that!?"

Both Sasuke and Sakura glared at him before stepping closer to him so that he would be able to see the height difference for himself. Once the light bulb went off in Naruto's head, he attempted to charge at the man and shouted angrily, "I'm going to kill you!"

Kakashi held Naruto by the back of his shirt and chastised him. "You're not supposed to kill the person you're escorting."

"Alright let's cut to the chase," The middle-aged man began to say after he took a swig of his alcoholic beverage. "My name is Tazuna, and I'm a bridge builder. Once I return to my country, I will have all of you protect me while I finish building the bridge, got it?"

* * *

Team Seven and the bridge builder convened at the Konoha village gate after being given some time to pack some essential supplies for their trip. Naruto excitedly rushed to the front and exclaimed to the group "Let's go! Let's go!"

"Why are you so excited?" Sakura asked.

"Because! I've never been outside of the village before!" Naruto said, obviously pumped.

"Hey, is this kid _really_ cut out for this mission?" Tazuna asked.

"Don't worry about it," Kakashi chuckled. "I'm a Jounin and I'll be accompanying you as well, so you have nothing to worry about."

"Hey listen to me! I am an elite ninja that will one day hold the title of Hokage! My name is Uzumaki Naruto! Remember it!"

"Hokage is the village's number one ninja right?" Tazuna began. "I don't think someone like you can become one."

"Shut up!" Naruto shouted. "I'm willing to go through _any_ hardshipto become Hokage! And once I do, people like you will _have_ to acknowledge me!"

Tazuna scoffed. "I will _never_ acknowledge you, Hokage or not."

Naruto tried to charge at the man, but Kakashi held him back once more. "Let me go! I'm going to kill him!"

"Stop trying to kill the client, Naruto." Kakashi scolded.

Finally the group were on their way. Things were relatively quiet for awhile, but Sasuke remained alert. He remembered back to their final test, and how Kakashi, even in the midst of casual conversation, always seemed to have remained alert at all times. He was always weary, always watching, always keeping his guard up. The last of the Uchiha knew that he had to do the same if he wanted to get anywhere close to his level. He had to remain forever vigilant.

"Hey, Tazuna-san, you're from the Wave Country right?" Sakura asked.

"Yea, what about it?" Tazuna asked.

"Kakashi-sensei, are there any ninja in the Wave Country?" Sakura asked of him.

"No, there are no shinobi in the Wave Country. In most countries, like ours for instance, our village serves as something of a military power. It allows for us to negotiate with other countries and provide leverage, lend aid to our allies, and the like. In a small isolated island such as the Wave Country, with very little influence from other countries, they do not need to have a ninja village themselves. And as you know, Konoha is the ninja village of the Fire Country. The Water Country has Kirigakure. The Wind Country has Sunagakure. The Lightning Country has Kumogakure. And the Earth Country has Iwagakure. And the leader of each village is as follows, Hokage for Konoha, Mizukage for Kiri, Kazekage for Suna, Raikage for Kumo, and Tsuchikage for Iwa. They are the most powerful shinobi in all of the land."

"Wow! Hokage-sama must be a great man!" Sakura said with renewed admiration for him.

"But, don't worry, we won't be encountering foreign ninja on a simple C-ranked simple anyways."

Sasuke suddenly had a sinking feeling in his gut. Kakashi's words were...odd to him. It was almost as if he was talking to someone _else_ , and not to Sakura. He must have said that in order to put whomever was shadowing them's mind at ease, perhaps to make them think that they would have their guard down.

 _Shinobi must see beyond what normal people see._ Those were Kakashi's words right?

As they continued to traverse the land, the group came across a small puddle on the ground. That struck Sasuke as rather odd. Why was there a puddle in that particular spot? If it rained, then why weren't there other puddles? Something was up, but he didn't know if he was overreacting or-

Suddenly, two shinobi donned in dark masks and even darker cloaks wrapped their linked chain that was attached to their gauntlet around Kakashi himself. Without a moment's hesitation, they skewered him.

 _Substitution._ Sasuke knew that it would take more than that to finish Kakashi off. Much more.

The duo then rapidly approached Naruto, but their movements were much slower. They didn't take Naruto seriously, and Sasuke knew that he could use that to his advantage. He would attack them as they tried to attack the blonde, that way they wouldn't be able to counter. He sprung into action by elevating his body into the air to allow himself a clear vantage point. With trained precision, he threw a shuriken at the center of their conjoined chain to pin it against the trunk of a tree. To further lock them in place, he threw a kunai at the center hole of the shuriken for good measure. He landed atop of their gauntlets and placed his hands on them to use as leverage whilst he kicked them both in the jaw.

The duo scoffed and severed their link entirely. One went after Naruto, while the other went after Tazuna. Sakura took a defensive position ahead of Tazuna, but Sasuke knew that she would not stand a chance. He had more faith in Naruto than he had in her to keep the client safe. He activated his Sharingan for the briefest of moment to allow himself to fully predict the assassin's next move, then deactivated it and used his full speed to intercept him. Once Sasuke appeared in front of Sakura, he spread his arms out and prepared for his counter attack...

That was, until Kakashi appeared with one of the men unconscious in his arm, whilst he held the one that was about to attack Sasuke in his arm as well.

"Yo," Kakashi said apathetically.

 _Hmph. Show off._ Sasuke grumbled. He could have taken that guy down easily.

"Hey Naruto, sorry for not helping you sooner, I got you hurt. But I honestly didn't except for you to freeze up like that."

"Good job Sasuke, you knew what was about to happen before everyone else did I'm sure. Good job to you too as well Sakura, you put your life on the line for the sake of the mission."

Sasuke scoffed inwardly. It wasn't enough, it wasn't nearly enough. _That man_ would have disposed of them both easily. Sasuke realized that he had a long way to go, but at least he was much further along than a certain hyperactive blonde boy he knew. He turned to face his teammate and shot him a smirk of confidence.

"Hey, are you hurt scaredy-cat?" He taunted.

"S-Sasuke-"

"Naruto!" Kakashi cut him off. "Stay still, these men had poison in their claws. If you move too much then the poison will spread. We have to extract it as quickly as possible, understand?" The Jounin then turned to face Tazuna.

"By the way, we have to talk."

After Kakashi bound the assassins to a tree by rope and they began to become conscious again, he explained the situation to the rest of his team.

"These two are Chuunins from Kiri, and they specialize in assassination."

"How were you able to detect us?" One of them asked.

"Because, it hadn't rained in days and it's sunny today, so a water puddle shouldn't even exist."

"If you knew all of that beforehand, then why did you let the kids fight?" Tazuna asked.

"If I was in the right mood, I could have effortlessly killed them both. However, I needed to confirm who their target was." Kakashi said.

"What do you mean?" Tazuna asked.

"I mean, I didn't know if _you_ were being targeted, or if _we_ were being targeted. We didn't have any information that said that you were to be targeted by other shinobi. You requested protection against robbers and gang members, and for protect while you built your bridge. As it stands now, this mission has become a B-ranked one. I know that you must have had your reasons for not telling us, but you should also know that lying in your request details only causes more harm down the road."

"This mission is out of our league, let's quit," Sakura began to say. "And besides, Naruto needs to see a doctor because of the poison. We can't continue on, it's too dangerous."

Kakashi sighed. "Yea, let's go back to the village and cure Naruto."

Naruto, being the number one knucklehead that he was, brandished a kunai and, in his infinite wisdom, decided to stab himself in his wound in order for the poisoned blood to gush out as well. Everyone who witnessed it was in complete dismay.

"Naruto! What are you doing!?" Sakura nearly screeched.

"I won't be a burden, I won't runaway, I won't freeze up, and I won't lose to Sasuke! I swear on this wound that I will complete the mission and protect the old geezer with this kunai!" Naruto exclaimed.

"You know, that was a nice speech and all but, if you keep bleeding out like that, you'll surely die." Kakashi said nonchalantly.

After Naruto got patched up the group headed towards a pier in which there was a small boat ported there. They all gathered upon it whilst a pier worker offered to row the boat for them to the Wave Country free of charge. The group had to traverse through a thick amount of fog that seemingly grew thicker and thicker as time passed.

"We should be able to see the bridge soon," The rower said.

Sasuke was relieved to hear it. He didn't like being forced to sit so close to people for an extended period of time.

"If we move along the side of the bridge, we'll be at the Wave Country."

After what Sasuke thought was a lifetime's worth a wait, the bridge began to finally come into view. It was an extremely large bridge, much larger than he had anticipated. The old man wanted to build something of _that_ size? Even with all the other construction workers, Sasuke imagined that it would take quite awhile to finish the project.

"It's huge!" Naruto exclaimed in amazement.

"Be quiet!" The rower hissed. "You're supposed to be incognito right? That's why I'm rowing instead of using the engine."

The man's statement brought up a good point. They were supposed to be incognito, yet they didn't know exactly why they were, or who they were trying to be incognito from.

"Tazuna-san," Kakashi began to say whilst he shot him a serious glare. "I need two things from you. One is the identity of the people who are after you, and two is the reason that they are after you. If you refuse to tell us, then we'll call the mission off as soon as we reach shore. The choice is yours."

"An extremely terrible man is after my life. You have probably heard of him, for his name is Gatoh."

"G-Gatoh?!" Kakashi was astonished. "As in, Gatoh of the Gatoh Company? He's one of the richest men in the entire world."

"Who's that!? Who's that!?" Naruto ask.

"On the surface, Gatoh runs a legitimate marine transportation company. But underneath that, he uses gangs and shinobi from other villages to smuggle drugs and contraband. About a year ago, he looked to expand his business and set his sights on the Wave Country. He took over all of our sea traffic by violent means. And he's afraid of most is..." Tazuna peered at the enormous bridge. "The competition of the bridge, which would allow us break free from his hold and bring in much needed revenue as well."

"I see, so you became an obstacle to him," Sakura said.

"And that also means that Gatoh was the one responsible for sending those ninjas."

"But I don't understand, why not tell us this in the first place?" Kakashi asked.

"Because, the Wave Country is extremely poor. Not even the Feudal Lord has much money. But if you want to abort your mission that's fine, but know this, I'll surely be killed as soon as you make your way back. And then my cute eight year old grandson will cry, and my lonely daughter will hate Konoha ninja forever and ever and-"

"Alright, Alright, we get it," Kakashi and his students felt guilty enough. "We'll continue escorting you."

Once the group reached the pier they continued their journey once more, and all the while Sasuke couldn't help but wonder about who Gatoh would send after them next. If the last two shinobi were Chuunin, then did that mean that they would have to face a Jounin next?

"There!"

Naruto shouted. Sasuke watched nonchalantly as the blonde boy threw a kunai into the bushes. The young Uchiha wasn't worried in the slightest however, as he hadn't sensed anything significant at all.

"Oh, it was just a mouse," Naruto attemped to act nonchalant on the whole matter.

"Stop being an idiot!" Sakura shouted at him.

"Naruto, it's dangerous to throw kunais around like that," Kakashi lectured.

Sasuke simply scoffed. _Idiot._

The hyperactive blonde threw another kunai, and Sakura hit him on the back of his head and scolded him further.

"Everyone, duck!" Kakashi suddenly roared.

Sasuke and everyone else did as ordered, but the Uchiha was perplexed as to why he hadn't been able to sense that something was amiss. Had he been too distracted? No, he was sure that he kept his guard up.

Once the oversized broadsword's blade that was flung at them became planted onto the tree, a burly and shirtless man with his face wrapped materialized atop of his weapon's handle. The vibe that he gave off was intense. It was murderous intent at its most primal, and Sasuke almost found himself frozen stiff.

"Oh my, you are Momochi Zabuza of the Hidden Mist Village correct? It's an honor to meet you."

Naruto tried to rush in, but Kakashi wisely stopped him.

"Stay back, you'll just get in the way if he's our opponent, then I'll have to play my trump card."

 _Trump card?_ Sasuke thought.

Kakashi reached his hand up toward his slanted headband which covered his other eye. What good was revealing another eye going to do? How was that a trump card?

"You are Kakashi of the Sharingan, I presume," Zabuza said.

Sasuke couldn't believe what he had just heard.

 _Kakashi has the Sharingan?_

"Everyone, perform the swastika formation. Be sure to protect Tazuna-san with your life."

Kakashi then lifted his headband to uncover his eye, and it in fact _was_ the Sharingan eye. And a fully matured one at that.

"What the heck is the sharingan!?" Naruto exclaimed.

"It's a doujutsu," Sasuke began to say. "It can see through all forms of ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu, and can even cancel their effects. But that's not all it can do-"

"That's correct," Zabuza chimed in. "The scary part about the Sharingan is that it can not only understand how an opponent's technique works, but copy it as well."

Thick fog began to saturate the air, almost putting visibility to absolute zero. Sasuke felt his skin begin to crawl, and the hairs on his head began to stand on end.

"When I was part of the Hidden Mist's assassination squad, your information was in my bingo book. It said that you had copied over a thousand jutsu, hence your title: Kakashi The Copy Ninja."

"Wow!" Naruto exclaimed in admiration.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at his sensei.

 _I don't understand. The Sharingan is a special trait that only appears in the Uchiha Clan. Could he possibly be-_

"Let's cut the chatter," Zabuza barked. "I'm here for the old man."

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all fell into a defensive formation around Tazuna. Sasuke took point while both Naruto and Sakura took the wings. In a flash, Zabuza reappeared atop the water and began to channel an enormorous amount of chakra. The mist began to grow incredibly thick, until finally the exiled shinobi was no longer in view.

"He's gone!" Naruto shouted.

"Sensei, just what is that guy?" Sakura inquired.

"Momochi Zabuza was an ANBU member of the Hidden Mist Village and was well known for his silent killing technique. He could appear at a moment's notice and end your life. You'll pass from this world to the next without having the slighest clue of what transpired."

Sasuke could hear Naruto and Sakura gulp.

"Be very careful, I won't be able to use my Sharingan to its full potential in the mist."

"Wait, it's getting thicker!" Naruto shouted. The mist had become so thick that they could no longer visibly see their Jounin leader.

"Eight points," An ominous voice whispered to them through the mist. "Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, kidney, collarbone, and heart. Now, which one should I strike?"

It seemed Kakashi had enough of the games. He channeled an immense amount of chakra and lashed it outward to clear the mist away. When he did so, Sasuke felt a horrible sensation roll down his body. It was almost as if someone had struck his spinal cord with an ice pick. The atmosphere was so heavy, so intense, so deadly. It reminded him of _that night._ It was a feeling that he could never forget. The feeling of impending doom. He hated that feeling. He hated it so much.

 _I'd rather kill myself than feel this way again!_

"Sasuke, don't worry," Kakashi tried to reassure him. "I'll protect you all with my life. That's a promise." The Jounin faced him and flashed him a smile beneath his mask.

"Don't make promises that you can't keep."

That was...Zabuza's voice? Why did it sound like it was coming from right behind him?

That's because it was.

Sasuke felt as if his legs had turned to clay. He couldn't move. However, once he saw Kakashi rush toward them, he knew that he had to get out of dodge as quickly as he could. He sprung backwards as his sensei shoved his kunai into the former Mist shinobi's abdomen. But that wasn't the end of it.

"Sensei! Behind you!" Naruto tried to alert him.

The _real_ Zabuza was behind him, the one that had gotten stabbed was nothing more than a **Mizu Bushin,** or water clone, and the real Zabuza was poised to cut the silver-haired Jounin in two.

"Die!" Zabuza shouted as his blade completely severed Kakashi's upper body from his lower body.

But that was a mere **Mizu Bushin** as well.

The _real_ Kakashi reappeared behind the _real_ Zabuza with a kunai to his throat.

"It's over."

However, Zabuza laughed at him. Hard.

"You don't seem to understand the situation that you're in, do you? You can't beat me by using my own techniques against me. I had saw through you from the start. You copied my **Mizu Bushin** and made the clone speak as if you were really you, all the while you used the **Kirigakure no Jutsu,** also known as the Hidden Mist technique, to hide until you were ready to strike."

The Zabuza dispersed into water, and the _real_ Zabuza finally revealed himself. He aimed his sword toward Kakashi's head, who nimbly ducked it. Once the exiled shinobi's weapon landed on the ground, he quickly spun around on his heels to deliver an extremely vicious kick towards Kakashi's person. The kick was so strong that it literally sent the masked Jounin flying.

Sasuke couldn't but be impressed with what he had seen.

"Even his taijutsu is off the charts."

Kakashi's body landed within the water, and Zabuza appeared toward his flank. He flew threw a few handseals and encased the Konoha Jounin within a prison of water to trap him. Afterwards, he created another **Mizu Bushin** and began to approach the remainder of the group.

"You three have on those forehead protectors as if you're truly ninja," Zabuza chuckled at them. "However, being a ninja means you have gone through several life or death situations. You can call yourself one once you've appeared in my Bingo Book. Until then..."

He appeared in front of Naruto and kicked him across the ground. The man had moved so fast that Sasuke couldn't keep up with him.

Naurto's headband landed on the ground, and Zabuza stepped on it.

"You're just a bunch of kids."

"Everyone! Run!" Kakashi shouted from place in the water prison. "Run as far as you can! He can't chase after you as long as he has me trapped!"

 _Run away? That's impossible._ Sasuke thought. _That's not a viable option. Even if we did run, we'd just get annihilated sooner or later since we don't have our leader to guide us. Nor can we use the swatsika formation to keep Tazuna safe. We have to fight. We don't have any other choice. We have to save you!_

He rushed at the clone and threw two fistful of shuriken at it as a diversion attempt. As soon as it used its blade to swipe them away, Sasuke used his full speed to appear above the clone with his kunai brandished in his hand. He had created an opening. This was it.

"This is the spot-"

Zabuza countered him so fast that he didn't even see it coming. The former Mist Jounin had his hand firmly wrapped around Sasuke's throat. He then effortlessly tossed the last of the Uchiha to the side as if he was nothing more than a rag doll. Sasuke began to slowly make his way to his feet, all the while Naruto began to charge relentlessly at Zabuza over and over again, just to get his headband back. With an all-to-familiar smirk of confidence, Naruto wrapped his forehead protector around his head and declared, "Put this in your bingo book mister no eye-brows. The one that will become Hokage one day is me, Uzumaki Naurto!"

Sasuke felt his cheeks grow warm. Naruto had made him feel this way before, and he didn't like it. He felt as if he was beginning to...admire him?

"Sasuke, lend me your ear. I have a plan," Naruto began to say to him.

 _He thought up of a plan in this situation?_

"I'm surprised that you're willing to cooperate with me," Sasuke said to him.

Naruto simply shot him a smirk, and Sasuke smirked right back.

"We're not running away, we're here to fight!" Naruto exclaimed to Kakashi chargin.

"You kids still pretending to be ninja?" Zabuza chuckled darkly. "Fools. When I was your age my hands had already been soaked with blood."

"Zabuza the Demon..." Kakashi uttered.

"Oh? So you know the story then?" Zabuza inquired.

"Long ago, the Hidden Mist was known as the Village of the _Bloody_ Mist. In order to be recognized as ninja, they had to pass one final test," Kakashi began to explain.

"A-A final test?" Naruto asked.

"Students had to kill one another," Zabuza finished.

"Ten years ago, a monster appeared that forced the Hidden Mist into reformtion," Kakashi chimed in.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"A boy who wasn't even a candidate to being a shinobi, showed up and murdered all one-hundred of the other candidates in cold blood."

 _Wh-What!?_ Sasuke was in shock.

"That was fun." Zabuza remarked in ectasy. Then out of nowhere he appeared in front of Sasuke and elbowed him in the absomen. The shot sent him reeling across the ground until Zabuza then landed yet another blow while he was already on the ground. Blood spewed from the last of the Uchiha's mouth as the Demon of the Mist grabbed his blade.

"Die."

" **Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"**

Naruto created dozens of replications and brandished his kunai in a coordinated attack meant to overwhelm Zabuza through shear numbers alone, but it wasn't enough. The man effortlessly tossed all the clones away, however, as Sasuke staggered back to his feet, he heard Naruto shout his name.

"Sasuke! Catch!"

Sasuke caught what Naruto had tossed towards him, which was a folded Fuma Shuriken, the Shadow Windmill edition.

 _This is a transformed Bushin._ Sasuke remarked inwardly. He had to hand it to the blonde, he had a very solid plan in mind. The shadow clones he used earlier were merely a distraction so that Zabuza wouldn't notice one of the clones replicate into the enlarged shuriken. Then once Sasuke threw it...

"Take this!" The last of the Uchiha shouted as he tossed the shuriken directly at the _real_ Zabuza which held Kakashi prisoner.

Now once he threw it, Zabuza would use his free hand to catch the initial Shuriken...

Which he did.

Then he would notice the second shuriken that was blended in with the first's shadow. And his only other option would be to jump over it.

Which he did.

Then lastly, Naruto would reveal himself to have been the second shuriken the entire time, and he would toss a kunai directly toward Zabuza while he was in mid-air. That would force him to dodge the attack and break away from Kakashi.

"Sasuke, _this_ is the spot!" Naruto shouted as he flung the kunai at the runaway shinobi.


End file.
